Combination undergarment



Oct. 28, 1947. GQOLIENSIS COMBINATION .UNDERGARMENT Filed Sept. 18, 1944 www r .o v# A V.

Patented Oct. 28, (1947 2,429,767 COMBINATION UNDERGARMENT Gertrude Oliensis, St. Louis, Mo.

Application September 18, 1944, Serial No. 554,562

6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to an undergarment, and more particularly to such a garment designed principally for women, and has for its principal object, the construction of a single garment that will serve to adequately perform the purposes and functions normally fuliilled by a brassire, abdominal support, and a chafe-eliminator.

Another object of this invention is to so design and combine the various portions of this novel garment that a very minimum of material need be used in its manufacture, to thereby make said garment less bulky and burdensome to wear, and proportionately more economical to manufacture.

Other objects of my invention are to produce a combination undergarment of the kind described, that will not only be light in weight and which will at the same time permit of practically any type of overgarment or overgarments being worn therewith, but which can be washed out and ironed most readily and rapidly.

Added objects of this invention are to so design, proportion and construct such a garment, whereby the same will be extremely easy to don and thereafter remove, which will bev cool, not bind, bulge nor sag, and which at the same time will give all of the support normally required of such garments, at the various parts of the body covered thereby.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described, and the uses mentioned, will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, as will be more clearly apparent from the disclosures herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, and the method Vof making the garment, as herein shown and described and as will be more clearly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated my invention and wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure 1 is a frontal perspective view of the garment as worn;

Figure 2 is a corresponding view of the same, as seen mainly from the rear;

Figure 3 is a plan View of the garment flattened out in position ready for ironing, with the oonnecting strips of the leg band omitted, and one end ofthe brassire detached from the other;

Figure 4 is a detail view showing the manner of slashing arcuately through the brassire material, to form the bust-pocket opening, and with the top bounding edge of said opening slit inwardly therealong;

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the next step in forming said pocket, with the slit edge stretched lengthwise; and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional detail showing one of such pockets inserted in place.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of'my invention, there is shown a brassire member A, an abdominal support member B therebelow, and a chafe-eliminator crotch-engaging member C, all of said members being secured together as a unit adapted to be donned and worn as a single garment, and just as readily and easily taken off as one garment.

The various garment members have been shown in simplest form, for greater clarity in the drawings, but it is to be understood that various additions and changes may be made therein, within the scope of this invention, such as by adding a collar, shoulder pads, dress shields, etc., to the brassire member, adding a skirt or the like to the abdominal support member, and by similarly adding hose supporters to extend below the chafeeliminator portion, these various additive features readily suggesting themselves to those skilled in the art and as the wearers wish.

The garment embodied in this invention is so shaped and constructed that it will serve adequately for all of the purposes and functions normally intended by a brassire, abdominal support, and chafe-eliminator, with the very minimum of material, hence reducing the cost of manufacture proportionately, providing the greatest comfort to the wearer, the least interference with any other garments that might be superimposed on this foundation garment, and permitting of the utmost ease and rapidity in laundering the garment, because the various parts of the garment may be laid out substantially flat for ironmg.

Y The brassire or bust-supporting member A is formed from any suitable or preferred flexible and pliant material, and shaped to cover the bust of the wearer, somewhat as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, there being a main or body portion l of a teX- tile found most suitable for the purpose, and preferably cut with the weave of. said material running straight up and down, or straight across the body, as indicated more particularly in Fig. 3, there being extensions or tabs 2 2 at either end to extend rearwardly in opposite directions across the bust, and interconnected adjacent the ends,

3 or there may be an insert piece 3 to which the ends 2-2 may be attached, preferably detachably to one end.

In the making of brassires, an endeavor is made to shape the bust to provide the most fashionable appearance and yet maintain the greatest degree of comfort to the wearer, and I have therefore formed the breast-receiving portions to that purpose, and as will now be set forth.

Two transversely Aspaced openings 4-4 are made in the -brassire member, lpreferably by slashing arcuately through the material thereat and as shown most clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the arc extending upwardly from either -end from `a height approximately mid-height of the breast, to provide the opposed pair of arcuateY ,bounding edges 5 and 6 defining each fof said openings. The degree of curvature of such arcs may be varied to accommodate the various figures `of the possible purchasers of the garments.

One bounding edge of each opening, as for vex ample, the upper edge'in the embodiment shown, is slit inwardly at spaced intervals therea-long, as `at A'1, and this slit edge is then stretched, Aas by `pulling in opposite directions at spaced `points therealong, to thereby increase the .length of said slit edge as compared toits initial length, and whereupon it willhave the appearance somewhat as is shown in Fig. 5.

vInto ,each of these openings d, a segment of material fabric 8 is secured, this segment being somewhatof elliptical shape -in outline, coming to fairly sharp .ends or points, as if they were peeled from the surface of .a sphere between spaced diametral lines. These segments, ,preferably cut on the bias of the materiaLas indicated more clearly in Fig. .3, are sewed or otherwise firmly secured `in ,place at each opening, between the pair of .arcuatebounding edges 5-and'6 ofthe same. Y

'It is to be understood'that the openings 4 -may be of various predetermined sizes, and the 4insert segments of correspondingly varied sizes, Aso as to make the brassire.shapedtoraccommodate the range Vof physical proportions of the ,possible :purchasers of the garments.

In order to shape the brassire to fit `the busts more perfectly, a dart 9 may be taken in-.the material of the brassire, above each pocket, and a similar dart `it taken below `and approximately mid-length of each pocket, somewhat as Y.isshown in Figs. l and 2. l

VIt is to be Aparticularly noted that .the brassire is `made of ,one piece or sheet ,of material, .lextending above as well as below the openings 4 4, and that the shorter or under side 'ofthe slash, in the embodiment shown, has atendency to draw or force the breasts upwardly within'the pockets, or lift them, in the'desired manner, and that .the insert segmenti? does not form the entire pocket,but substantially only the v,upper 4half Vof the same.

The abdominal support member B is preferably formedof a diamond shaped piece of fabric, With one pair of reduced ends vor corners lil-ll ,extending vertically lof one another, on the body of Vthe wearer, and saidsupport may be fastened about the body of the wearer by a Vbelt or by extensions ,extending laterally `from the enlarged or central portion of themember B.

Although the abdomen 4is amply supported by the member Bi, this is accomplished with the use of a minimum of material area, and substantiallyonly the Ifront of .the'wearers bodyis thus covered. Y A

The chafe-eliminator member C is cut from a sheet of fabric to form the somewhat triangular main body portion having the apex l2 uppermost (see Figs. 1 and 3), and with the substantially horizontal base I8 lowermost. This portion, so shaped triangularly, will form a covering to engage at the crotch of the wearer, as shown, and with the rear or base portion of the member extending upwardly for just a short distance (see Fig. 2).. Darts l,t3 may be taken in the rearengagingportion of the member C,"for fullness and better t, if so desired.

If it is desired to form leg-bands Ill-I4, the

.-same ,can be Ydone by cutting the chafe-eliminatorlengthwise to either side of the sloping sides of .the triangular main portion of said member,

so that these tabs may be draped to encircle the legs or thighs of the wearer, and if it is ,found .that these bands are not sufficiently long,

or if for any other good reason it is thought advisable to do so, Van elastic webbing insert `I5 may be interposed in each of the bands, as -shown mostclearly in Fig. 2.

Thus it isseenthatthe intermediate or abdominal supportingmember B is fastened at its upper and lower ends or corners only, tothe adjacent brassire and chafe-eliminator members, respectively, at the front of the garment unit, while the rearof the combination garment is clear and open.

Extrainserts, of elastic or the like, 16, may be interposed between the brassier and the abdominal members, vadjacent the upper corner Il of .the latter, if desired, in order to aid in taking up any excess strain that might tend to tear the interconnected members Vat this area.

Flor some wearers, it might be advisable to use the `diagonally extending straps l1 to hold the abdominal member to the body.

Laundering of the combination one-piece gar- Vvment just described, is the matter of but a few minutes, not only on account of the barest yardage of material used, and the'same being of substantially single thickness throughout, (except at the .few interconnecting points), but it is to be particularly stressed thatV said garment may be ironed substantially nat. Even at the pockets, the material'may be folded asis shown approximately in Fig. 3, with the under or shorter edge ofthe pockets brought uppermost and lsuperimposed on the insert pieces, vthus `permitting .the iron to reach -into the lower side of the pocket, after which the iron may be moved in the opposits :direction to finish off ythe Aupper .portion of the pocket.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may bemadein the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the ,exact form, arrangement, construction and combination of parts herein lshown and described, nor the methcdset forth herein, .except as limited by the state of the :art :to @which this invention appertains, and the claims hereunto appended.

'What I Iclaim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

-1. Ina garment, a bust-support made of a flexible material provided with .a pair of arcuate slashes therethrough and with the 4material at one `boundingedge .of each slash stretched, and a substantially.elliptical Apocket element secured in each :Slash `to substantially ythe 'full Ilengthiof said :bounding edges to Aform` a vbust pocket.

V.2. The method ,of making `.a bust-supporting undergarment comprising arcuately slashing a sheet of textile to form a pair of openings therethrough, so that each opening has opposed upper and lower bounding edges elongating one of said bounding edges of each opening, and closing each opening by securing a substantially elliptical textile insert element to the bounding edges of each opening to form breast-receiving pockets together with said first-mentioned sheet of textile.

3. In a brassire member, a sheet of fabric forming the chest-covering portion and having a pair of spaced upwardly extending arcuate slashes therethrough whereby each slash has opposed upper and lower edges formed from the same piece of fabric, and crescent-shaped closure inserts secured continuously along the full length of said opposed edges of the slashes and of a width to space said edges apart and, together with said sheet of fabric to form the bust portion of the brassire member.

4. A brassire member comprising a sheet of fabric forming the chest covering portion and provided with a pair of spaced bowed openings therethrough whereby each opening has opposed upper and lower edges formed from the same piece of fabric, and fabric closure elements each shaped to converge toward both ends and arranged in said openings and secured substantially uninterruptedly to and along the full length of said upper and lower edges of the openings and of width required to space said edges of the openings apart and, with said sheet of fabric to form the bust portion of the brassire member.

5. A brassire member comprising a piece of material forming the chest covering portion and provided with a pair of spaced apart arcuate slash openings therethrough whereby the upper and lower bounding edges of each slash opening are formed from the same piece of material, and closure elements each of a flat crescent-shaped piece of flexible material and secured substantially uninterruptedly to the upper and lower edges of said slash openings fully coextensive with the latter to fully close the same and, together with said piece of material first-mentioned to form the bust portion of the brassire member.

6. In a brassire member, a sheet of fabric forming the chest covering portion and having a pair of spaced slashes therethrough whereby each slash has opposed upper and lower edges formed from the same piece of fabric, and closure inserts secured continuously along the full length of the opposed edges of the slashes, each of said inserts being tapered in width toward its opposite ends and of a width to space said upper and lower edges apart and to fully c1ose the entire opening between said upper and lower edges and, together with said sheet of fabric to form the bust portion of the brassire member.

GERTRUDE OLIENSIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,797,022 Reinohl Mar. 17, 1931 2,301,499 Amyot NOV. 10, 1942 2,355,404 Virden et al Aug. 8, 1944 2,344,674 Brown Mar. 21, 1944 1,962,984 Crego June 12, 1934 2,060,689 Read Nov. 10, 1936 2,154,227 Brown Apr. 11, 1939 

